Who Should Be Next New York Knicks Coach?

February 11, 2016

Who Should Be Next New York Knicks Coach?

After fewer than two seasons in charge of the New York Knicks, Derek Fisher was fired as the team’s head coach. Fisher’s firing was understandable, as the Knicks were one of the most underwhelming teams in the NBA during his tenure, and the career of Carmelo Anthony was being wasted by a team that had no chance to win as currently constructed. But, as much sense as the firing made, the question now is who the New York Knicks should bring in as their next coach. Here are a few possible options that would improve the team quickly.

1. Luke Walton

When Luke Walton took over as interim coach of the Golden State Warriors due to Steve Kerr’s health issues, he was expected to simply hold down the fort until Kerr’s return. But Walton was so good in his first NBA head coaching experience that the New York Knicks would be foolish not to give him a look when trying to fill their new head coaching vacancy.

Walton steered the ship as the Warriors recorded the best start in the history of the NBA, as Golden State has just four losses heading into the all-star break, a record that has never been matched in the history of the sport. While the New York Knicks don’t quite boast the roster that Walton was able to coach in Golden State, it’s clear that Walton knows what he’s doing on the bench and could greatly improve a Knicks team that needs to get better quickly to make the most out of what’s left of Carmelo Anthony’s career.

2. Tom Thibodeau

Fired from the Chicago Bulls at the end of last season, Tom Thibodeau seemed to have been penalized for simply coaching a team that didn’t have LeBron James on it. His repeated failures to win the Eastern Conference Finals despite having a talented roster at his disposal were less his fault than they were about the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers having one of the greatest players in NBA history on their rosters year in and year out. But Thibodeau was always a great coach and would be a great fit for the Knicks.

Among the many issues the Knicks have had over the last 15 years of poor play has been the complete lack of defensive commitment and ability, something that Thibodeau could easily remedy with his coaching philosophy. During his time with the Bulls, Thibodeau stressed the importance of defense over offense, and routinely won low scoring games as a result of that approach. There is no doubt that the New York Knicks under Tom Thibodeau would operate in a similar fashion and get rid of any players who did not buy into his system.

Either Luke Walton or Tom Thibodeau would be perfect coaches for the New York Knicks, who needed to get rid of Derek Fisher to have any chance at becoming relevant in the NBA anytime soon. Thibodeau has already expressed interest in the job, so now it will be interesting to see whether that interest is mutual.